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Faculty Profiles

Jennifer E. Perry

Education

Ph.D. Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 2003
M.A. Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1998
B.A. Anthropology, University of San Diego, 1994
B.A. Latin American Studies, University of San Diego, 1994

Biography

Dr. Jennifer E. Perry is an anthropologist who is interested in cross-cultural and long-term perspectives on human-environment interactions. As a California native, she earned her B.A. degrees in Anthropology and Latin American Studies from the University of San Diego. After graduation, she worked in cultural resources management and later attended the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was awarded her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology. Prior to joining the CSU Channel Islands, she taught at Pomona College for 10 years, where she was an active member of their Environmental Analysis Program.

At the core of her interdisciplinary teaching and research are coastal societies, hunter-gatherer societies, and Native American societies. These interests are evident in courses she teaches including Human Ecology, The Seacoast Through Time, Native Californians, and Altered States of Consciousness. Although Dr. Perry has been involved with archaeological fieldwork in Mexico, Chile, and throughout southern California, the majority of her research has been conducted on the Channel Islands after which this university is named. She first fell in love with the beauty of the islands in 1992, and she has collaborated with Channel Islands National Park since 1998.

Her research and publications are focused on different facets of human-environment interactions on the islands including those related to marine ecology, cultural landscapes, and native ceremonialism, as well as the pedagogy of archaeological field schools. As one of her more recent publications, she is the co-editor and an author of “Contemporary Issues in California Archaeology,” a volume that covers of range of themes that are pertinent to California, past and present, such as drought, power, and multiculturalism. She is also the co-editor and an author of "California's Channel Islands: The Archaeology of Human-Environment Interactions," a volume on the indigenous prehistory and history of the Channel Islands. She continues to involve CI students with her research on the islands.

She and her family enjoy playing music, traveling, and everything related to the outdoors, including hiking and backpacking. In particular, she encourages anyone and everyone to visit at least one of the Channel Islands at least once in their lifetimes!